Clip-on shell catcher

ABSTRACT

A clip-on shell catcher for use on multiple shot semi-automatic guns having a shell ejection port and shell ejection mechanism, which consists of a clip-type spring or plate which is removably applicable to the side of the receiver of the semi-automatic gun to the rear of and in the lower portion of the ejection port of the gun. The top edge of the catcher, as installed on a semiautomatic gun, is spaced above and in close parallel proximity to the lower edge of the ejection port opening and thus restricts that opening so that the body of an ejected shell will pass through the opening but the base rim of the shell is held inside the receiver of the gun. The catcher does not restrict the entire port opening so that manual removal of an expended shell and reloading of the gun is facilitated.

United States Patent [1 1 Tomlinson et 211.

Sept. 4, 1973 CLIP-ON SHELL CATCHER [52] US. Cl 42/1 R [51] Int. Cl.F4lc 27/00 [58] Field of Search 42/1 R; 89/33 F [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 3,087,387 4/1963 Browning 42/1 R 3,270,617 9/1966Seymour et al.... 42/1 R 3,390,610 7/1968 Jordan 42/] R 3,603,015 9/1971Jensen 42/1 R 3,609,900 10/1971 Bemocco 42/1 R Primary Examiner-BenjaminA. Borchelt Assistant ExaminerC. T. Jordan Att0rneyBobby D. Scearce [57]ABSTRACT A clip-on shell catcher for use on multiple shot semiautomaticguns having a shell ejection port and shell ejection mechanism, whichconsists of a clip-type spring or plate which is removably applicable tothe side of the receiver of the semi-automatic gun to the rear of and inthe lower portion of the ejection port of the gun. The top edge of thecatcher, as installed on a semi-automatic gun, is spaced above and inclose parallel proximity to the lower edge of the ejection port openingand thus restricts that opening so that the body of an ejected shellwill pass through the opening but the base rim of the shell is heldinside the receiver of the gun. The catcher does not restrict the entireport opening so that manual removal of an expended shell and reloadingof the gun is facilitated.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Z l T 4 PATENTEDSEP 4 FIGURE l &

FIGURE GURE-4 FIGURE-3 CLIP-ON SHELL CATCHER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to firearms, and particularly to adevice which is used to keep a singly fired shell from being completelyejected from a semiautomatic gun, to permit manual removal of theexpended shell from the receiver of the gun and to permit reloading ofthe gun without removal of the catcher from the receiver of the gun.

Many trap, skeet, and other target ranges do not allow retrieval ofexpended shells from the shooting range gound, although many shooterschoose to save expended shells for subsequent reloading and reuse.Therefore anyone using a semi-automatic gun in these sports may beprohibited from saving their expended shells for reloading and reuse. Inaddition, many of the expended shells which are retrieved from theground following ejection from the semi-automatic gun are damaged beyonduse from dampness or other physical damage, and further, many expendedshells become lost which could otherwise be reused.

Other shell catchers or restrainers presently available have certaindisadvantages, not suffered by the clip-on shell catcher hereindescribed. The fork-type (Seymour, U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,617) and keeperrod type (Jensen, U.S. Pat No. 3,603,015) shell catchers are designed toattach to the bolt of the gun, and extend along the side of the receiverof the gun beside and in a spaced relationship to the ejection portopening; these catchers move rapidly and deliberately with the movementof the bolt, and in use are potentially dangerous to the shooters handwhich holds the forend of the gun (on firing), or the shooters handwhich holds the stock (on recoil). Another type shell catcher presentlyin use is the wire or spring-wire type, which can be installed on asemi-automatic gun by drilling two holes into the receiver at the top ofthe ejection port, and inserting a short length of suitably shaped stiffwire into the drilled holes; this catcher usually requires a gunsmith orother skilled person to drill the holes and to fit a spring wire to thegun, is easy to remove from the gun, but is often very difficult toreinstall. Still another type catcher consists of a suitable shaped wirewhich partially encircles the receiver of the gun as installed(Bernocco, U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,900); this catcher has the possibledisadvantages of shooter distraction or interference with the line ofsight or sighting picture of the gun, inability to reliably remain in anoperative position on the gun, or potential damage to the receiver ofthe gun. Another type (Browning, U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,387) also mayrequire gun modification and may interfere with the line of sight orsighting picture of the gun during use.

The Clip-On Shell Catcher here described is easy to install and toremove so that a shooter can enter various shooting events with minimumalteration to his gun; does not require modification to the gun; doesnot have any movement associated with its operation; and does notinterfere with the operation of the gun, either because of its weight orbecause of its placement on the gun.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention comprises a plate having acurved edge to engage the lower edge of the ejection port of asemi-automatic gun at the rear of the ejection port to prevent the baserim of a shell from being ejected from the gun when the bolt of the gunis opened following firing of the gun.

It is an object of the invention to keep singly fired shells insemi-automatic guns from being completely ejected so as to facilitaterecovery of the expended shell for reuse.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clipon and clip-off typecatcher which is easily installed, removed and reinstalled.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as thedetailed description proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description of specificembodiments thereof read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the clip-onshell catcher.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the receiver of a semi-automaticgun with the Clip-on Shell Catcher installed on the receiver.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of one type of receiver witha clip-on shell catcher installed, showing the structural details of thepreferred embodiment of the catcher.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a different type receiver showinganother embodiment of this invention wherein the upper curved portion ofthe catcher is held in place by the use of a shouldered member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION One embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1.The material of construction can be sheet steel, plastic or othermaterials, and is, therefore, not critical so long as the material willflex enough to allow the lower channeled portion 11 of the catcher toflex and spring over the lower edge 21 of the receiver of the gun asshown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, while the upper curved portion ofthe catcher, including lip 12, engages the receiver at the rear of andin the lower portion of the ejection port 22. Front tab 13 may beincluded to facilitate the smooth movement of the shell wall over thetop surface of the catcher as the expended shell is ejected from theejection port. The rear tab 14 may facilitate smooth movement of thebolt handle 23 of the gun over the top surface of the catcher and tendto prevent movement of the catcher toward the stock of the gun uponrecoil. The distance between the front tab 13 and rear tab 14 is notcritical except that the distance between the front tab 13 and the frontof ejection port 22 must be large enough to allow loading of shells andremoval of spent shell casings.

The front and rear edges of spring wall 15 may be of various shapeswithout affecting the operation of the shell catcher.

The width of the curved portion between lip 12 and spring wall 15 issuch that the height of the top surface of the catcher is spaced aboveand in close parallel proximity to the lower edge of the ejection port22, to partially restrict the ejection port opening so that the shellwall will pass through the opening, but the base rim of the shell willbe caught between the catcher and the top of the ejection port. Thiscritical height could also be set by suitable adjustment of tabs 13 and14 or by partially filling the inside curvature of the top of the 3catcher with solid material, a short length of rod stock or variousother means.

As shown in FIG. 3, a bevel may be provided on the curved portion of thecatcher which engages the lower portion of the ejection port along lip12. This may be desired to avoid possible interference between the boltand receiver of the gun during operation of the gun.

Lip 12 as shown in FIG. 3 may be replaced by one or more shoulderedmembers 16 as shown in FIG. 4, for another type receiver which may havea channel or holes in the lower edge of the ejection port.

Various modifications could be made to the lip, tabs, or shoulderedmembers so long as the purpose thereof is to hold the upper curvedportion of the catcher above and in close parallel proximity to thelower edge of the ejection port 22 and at the proper height to allowpassage of the body of an expended shell but to prevent passage of thebase rim of the expended shell.

It may be desirable to coat the shell catcher with a suitable materialto provide an attractive appearance, an appearance which matches thereceiver or corrosion resistance, or to prevent possible marring orscratching of the receiver. Suitable coatings may be applied to thecatcher using Teflon, gun black materials, or gun bluing materials.

The plate used to form the invention need not be a solid plate, as itmay be desirable to use a plate with one or more openings therein tominimize weight or for decorative purposes.

In its operative position, the invention hereinbefore described isinstalled on the receiver of a semiautomatic gun to the rear of and inthe lower portion of the ejection port of the gun substantially as shownin FIG. 2. The ejection port opening is restricted by the invention onlyto the extent necessary to retain an ejected shell. The foreward portionof the ejection port remains unrestricted so that the shooter maymanually remove an expended shell following firing of the gun bygrasping the body of the shell and sliding the shell forward until thebase rim of the shell clears the invention and can be removed throughthe unrestricted portion of the ejection port. To insert a new shellinto the receiver for firing, the shooter inserts the shell, base rimfirst, into the foreward unrestricted portion of the ejection port, thenslides the shell toward the backward portion of the ejection port, androtates the shell into position within the receiver with the base rimtoward the rear of the receiver.

Because of the clip-on, clip-off characteristic, the Clip-On ShellCatcher can be easily removed in the event the shooter wishes to engagein rapid multiple firing, and similarly easily reinstalled for catchingexpended shells during single firing of the gun.

The invention described herein is the easiest to install and remove ofany presently known shell catchers because of its spring clip action,and it is needed by those shooters who reload shells for reuse and wishto use one gun for various events in trap, skeet, and other targetshooting. Other details of construction and use may be applied as mightoccur to one skilled in the art and have therefore not been shown incomplete detail. Other embodiments of the invention might be developedwithout departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A shell catcher for catching shells expended from a semi-automaticgun having a recelver including an ejection port which comprises, aplate having a first curved portion on one edge thereof for engagingthat portion of the receiver of the gun defining the lower edge of theejection port thereof, and having a second curved portion on an edgeopposite said first curved portion for engaging the lower surface of thereceiver of the gun, said second curved portion tensioned tofrictionally resist removal.

2. A shell catcher as recited in claim 1 further comprising a tab-shapedmember formed on said plate on one edge thereof at an end of said firstcurved portion, to maintain said first curved portion in a spacedrelationship to the lower edge of the ejection port.

3. A shell catcher as recited in claim 2 further comprising a beveledportion on said plate on the edge thereof having said first curvedportion.

4. A shell catcher as recited in claim 1 further comprising a Tefloncoating on said plate.

5. In a semi-automatic gun having a shell ejection mechanism, a receiverincluding an ejection port, and a shell catcher, the improvementcomprising, a plate having a first curved portion on one edge thereoffor engaging that portion of the receiver of the gun defining the loweredge of the ejection port thereof, and having a second curved portion onan edge opposite said first curved portion for engaging the lowersurface of the receiver of the gun, said second curved portion tensionedto frictionally resist removal.

6. The combination as recited in claim 5 further comprising a tab-shapedmember formed on said plate on one edge thereof at an end of said firstcurved portion, to maintain said first curved portion in a spacedrelationship to the lower edge of the ejection port.

7. The combination as recited in claim 6 further comprising a beveledportion on said plate on the edge thereof having said first curvedportion.

8. The combination as recited in claim 5 further comprising a Tefloncoating on said plate.

1. A shell catcher for catching shells expended from a semiautomatic gunhaving a rece1ver including an ejection port which comprises, a platehaving a first curved portion on one edge thereof for engaging thatportion of the receiver of the gun defining the lower edge of theejection port thereof, and having a second curved portion on an edgeopposite said first curved portion for engaging the lower surface of thereceiver of the gun, said second curved portion tensioned tofrictionally resist removal.
 2. A shell catcher as recited in claim 1further comprising a tab-shaped member formed on said plate on one edgethereof at an end of said first curved portion, to maintain said Firstcurved portion in a spaced relationship to the lower edge of theejection port.
 3. A shell catcher as recited in claim 2 furthercomprising a beveled portion on said plate on the edge thereof havingsaid first curved portion.
 4. A shell catcher as recited in claim 1further comprising a Teflon coating on said plate.
 5. In asemi-automatic gun having a shell ejection mechanism, a receiverincluding an ejection port, and a shell catcher, the improvementcomprising, a plate having a first curved portion on one edge thereoffor engaging that portion of the receiver of the gun defining the loweredge of the ejection port thereof, and having a second curved portion onan edge opposite said first curved portion for engaging the lowersurface of the receiver of the gun, said second curved portion tensionedto frictionally resist removal.
 6. The combination as recited in claim 5further comprising a tab-shaped member formed on said plate on one edgethereof at an end of said first curved portion, to maintain said firstcurved portion in a spaced relationship to the lower edge of theejection port.
 7. The combination as recited in claim 6 furthercomprising a beveled portion on said plate on the edge thereof havingsaid first curved portion.
 8. The combination as recited in claim 5further comprising a Teflon coating on said plate.